Automatic spinning machine



Sept. 8, 1959 M. F. ROBERTS 2,902,963

I AUTOMATIC SPINNING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2a, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 i 65 a9 I IN V EN TOR.

,fleZz/zizffioberii Sept. 8, 1959 M. FJROBERTS 2,902,963

' AUTOMATIC SPINNING MACHINE Filed Oct. 26, 1953 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Sept. 8, 1959 'M, F. ROBERTS AUTOMATIC SPINNING MACHINE Filed Oct. 26, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 0 R M y, I Y N mm M ww mm QM fi V LNQ Wm I f M m QM m 1 @m w J 6 mm Sept. 8, 1959 M. F. ROBERTS 2,902,963

AUTOMATIC SPINNING MACHINE Filed Oct. 26, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR.

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States Patent Office Patented Sept. 8, 1959 ments, to the United States of America as'represented by" the Secretary of the Army Application October 26-, 1953, Serial No. 388,352

1 Claim. c1. 113-52 This invention relates to an improved metal spinning machine. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved machine and control system therefor for automatically spinning metal blanks into hollow conical shapes or the like' with either uniform wallthicknesses or tapered wall thicknesses.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved metal spinning machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for automatically spinning work pieces into hollow objects of revolution.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic metal spinning machine for spinning hollow objects of revolution with any desired uniform wall thickness.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an automatic spinning machine for spinning hollow objects of revolution with tapered wall thicknesses.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic spinning machine for forming hollow articles of revolution and including means for adjusting the wallformation both as to thickness and as to taper or absence of taper.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an automatic spinning machine for producing hollow articles of revolution at least as rapidly as by the conventional press and die method but without the necessity for different dies for each different shape and with much less equipment cost.

Other objects, features-and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the automatic spinning machine of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the hold-down mechanism portion of the spinning machine of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the spindle and brake mechanism portion of the machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is anenlarged sectional view, with parts in elevation, of the roller mechanism of the spinning machine taken substantially along line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a portion of the roller mechanism taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4 but illustrating schematically a modification for producing other than straight walled cones;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the roller mechanism modification of Figure 5 taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the electrical control system for the automatic spinning machine of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1 the automatic spinning machine of the present invention includes, in general, spindle and brake mechanism 10, hold down mechanism 11, and

:spinning roller mechanism 12; all secured to-anrupright backing or frame plate 13. In addition a hydraulic power unit 14 is provided for supplying actuating fluid pressure to the hold-down mechanism 11 and the spinning roller mechanism 12. The machine is provided with an automatic electric hydraulic control system which, when energized, actuates the various machine elements through a complete cycle to automatically spin one work piece in a predetermined manner in accordance with the Way in which the machine is set up. After the workpiece is completely spun, the control system automatically brings all of the elements of the machine back to their initial positions.

The spindle and brake mechanism 10 (Figure comprises a spindle assembly 15, an electric motor 16, and a brake 17, all mounted'on a support plate 18; The spindle assembly 15 includes a bearing block 19 having a rotatable shaft 20 extending therethrough with a spindle 21 mounted on the upper end of the shaft. The spindle 21 has any desired solid of revolution configuration such as, but not restricted to, the straight sided cone shown.

Themotor 16 may be of any suitable construction such as "a. threephase, sixty cycle, 220 volt electric motor of suflicient power to rotate the spindle 21 under maximul load conditions. The motor 16 includes a shaft 22 which is connected to the spindle assembly shaft 20 by means of a suitable flexible coupling 23.

The brake 17 may be a sixty cycle, 220 volt magnetic brake of any suitable construction. The brake is connected to the lower end of the motor shaft 22 as shown.

The hold-down mechanism 11 (Figure 2) includes a hold-down bearing block assembly 24 and a hydraulic actuating cylinder 25. The bearing block assembly 24 includes-a casing 24a secured to a support plate 26 with a hold-down arbor assembly 27 reciprocably mounted in the casing. The arbor assembly 27 includes an arbor head 27a which is rotatably mounted in any suitable manner with respect to the rest of the arbor;

The hydraulic actuating cylinder 25 may be of any suitable construction such as that shown including a cylinder casing 28 having a reciprocable piston therein (not shown) with a shaft 29 connected thereto. The casing 28 is secured to the support plate 26 by means of mounting members 30. The piston shaft 29 is connected to the arbor 27 by means of an adjustable coupling 31.

The spinning roller mechanism 12 (Figure l and 4)- comprises two major portions, a positioning mechanism. 32 and a forming mechanism 33. The spinning roller mechanism includes a support plate 34 having a track way 35 formed thereon. A slide 36 is slidably engaged on the track-way. A hearing block 37 is secured to the slide 36 and contains a ram 38 reciprocably mounted therein. One end 39 of the ram 38 is bifurcated and has aspinning roller 40 rotatably secured thereto between thetwo arms. The end of the bearing block 37 adjacent the spinning roller 40 is slotted at 41 to allow complete retraction of the ram without interference with the roller. The bearing block 37 and the ram 38 may be considered part of the positioning mechanism 32 while the track-way 35 and the slide 36 may be considered part of the forming mechanism 33.

In addition to thebearing block 37 and the ram 38 the positioning mechanism 32 includes a hydraulic actuating cylinder 42 mounted by means of mounting blocks 43 on an extension portion 36a of the slide 36. The actuating cylinder 42 includes a cylinder casing 44 having a reciprocable piston (not shown) mounted therein connectedto a piston shaft 45. The piston shaft 45 is connected to the ram 38 by means of adjusting mechanism 46.

The adjusting mechanism 46 is provided to allow changes in the-extent of movement of theroller 40-in-re- 3 sponse to actuation of the positioning mechanism 32. The adjusting mechanism includes a stop plate 46a threadedly positioned on the ram 38 and adapted to engage the bearing block 37 to limit the amount of movement of the roller 40. A jam nut 46b abuts the stop plate 46a to hold it in place, and a pair of nuts 46c and a collar 46d are provided for adjusting the distance between the roller 40 and the piston in the cylinder 42.

p In addition to the track-way 35 and the slide 36 the forming mechanism 33 includes a hydraulic actuating cylinder 47. The cylinder 47 includes a cylinder casing 48 having a reciprocable piston (not shown) therein connected to a piston shaft 49. The shaft 49 is connected to the slide 36 by means of adjusting mechanism 50 which may include a plate 51 having an aperture (not shown) through which the end of the shaft 49 extends with a pair of nuts 52 threadedly inserted over the shaft end on each side of the plate 51. It will be seen that the position of the slide 36 can be adjusted with respect to the throw of the actuating cylinder 47 by means of the adjusting mechanism 50.

The spindle, hold-down, and spinning roller mechanisms 10, 11 and 12 are mounted on the backing plate 13 in the positions shown in Figure l. The support plate 26 of the hold-down mechanism 11 is fixedly secured to the backing plate 13 by means of a plurality of screws 53.

The support plate 18 of the spindle and brake mechanism is connected to the backing plate 13 by means of screws 54 which ride in longitudinal slots 55 allowing for up-and-down adjustment of the spindle mechanism when the screws 54 are loosened.

In order to accommodate close tolerance up-and-down adjustment of the spindle mechanism 10 a pair of adjusting blocks 56 are secured to the backing plate 13 immediately below a pair of shoulders 57 formed on the support plate 18. The adjusting blocks 56 are held in position by screws 58 which are threadedly inserted into any set of pairs of a plurality of screw holes (not shown) formed in the backing plate 13 in order that the adjusting blocks may be placed in various positions according to the desired position of the spindle support plate 18. Each of the adjusting blocks 56 includes an adjusting screw 59 threadedly inserted therethrough with the upper ends of the screws abutting the plate shoulders 57 so that fine adjustment of the position of the plate 18 is accomplished by loosening the hold-down screws 54, positioning the plate by means of the adjustment screws 59, and then retightening the hold-down screws 54 when the plate is in the exact position desired.

The support plate 34 of the spinning roller mechanism 12 is connected to the backing plate 13 by means of a plurality of hold-down screws 60 which are mounted in adjustment slots 61 formed in the support plate and threadedly inserted into the backing plate 13. The support plate 34 is additionally secured to the backing plate 13 by means of a pivot 62 which is rotatably mounted in an arm 34a of the support plate. The pivot 62 is secured to the backing plate 13 by means of hold-down screws 63. The adjustment slots 61 are formed as arcs of a circle centered at the center of the pivot 62 so that the entire spinning roller mechanism 12 is pivotally adjustably mounted with respect to the center of the pivot.

In order to provide for close tolerance adjustment of the position of the spinning mechanism support plate 34 a pair of adjusting blocks 64 are secured to the backing plate 13 adjacent opposite edges of the support plate 34 in the region of the hydraulic cylinder 47. The adjusting blocks 64 are secured to the backing plate by means of screws 65 which can be threadedly inserted into any set of a'plurality of sets of pairs of threaded apertures (not shown) formed in the backing plate in order that the adjusting blocks can be placed close to the support plate 34 when in substantially its desired position. Each of the adjusting blocks 64 includes an adjusting screw 66 threadedly inserted therethrough with the ends of the screws abutting the opposite edges of the support plate 34. When the adjusting blocks 64 are in place, the position of the support plate 34 can be finely adjusted by loosening the hold-down screws 60, adjusting the position of the support plate by means of the adjusting screws 66, and then by retightening the hold-down screws.

It will be seen that the spindle and brake mechanism 10 and the hold-down mechanism 11 are axially aligned, and the axis of the pivot 62 of the spinning roller mechanism 12 intersects these axes at right angles.

The hydraulic power supply 14 includes the hydraulic pump 67 which is driven by an electric motor 68. The pump is arranged to draw hydraulic fluid such as oil or the like from a sump 69 by means of an inlet conduit 70. The outlet side of the pump is connected to a maximum pressure relief and pressure control device 71 which controls the maximum pressure output of the pump and relieves excess pressure back to the sump 69 by means of a return pipe 72. The regulated output pressure from the pressure control device is delivered to a pressure supply conduit 7 3.

The pressure supply conduit 73 has three branches 73a, 73b and 730, each of which contains a check valve 74 to prevent reverse flow from the branch conduits back to the main conduit 73. The check valves 74 may be of any suitable construction available commercially.

In the branch conduit 73a down stream of the check valve 74 is provided a pressure reducing valve 75. This valve can be constructed in any suitable manner and is incorporated in order to provide a reduced control pressure to the various conduits.

The branch conduits 73a, 73b and 73c are connected to respective solenoid valves 76a, 76b and 760 which are incorporated to control the distribution of pressure fluid to the respective actuating cylinders 25, 42 and 47. Each of the valves contains a valve body 77 and a pair of actuating solenoid coils 78a and 78b, one of which is located at each end of the valve body. The valve body contains a reciprocable valve member (not shown) which controls the flow of fluid between four ports 79, 80, 81 and 82. Each of the solenoid valves is of the two position type so that energization of the solenoid 78a moves the valve member into a position for connecting the port 79 with the port 80 and the port 81 with the port 82. When the solenoid 78b of any one of the valves is actuated the valve member is moved into its other position in which the port 79 is connected to the port 82 and the port 80 is connected with the port 81. The valve member remains in whichever position it is actuated to regardless of subsequent de-energization of the solenoid until the opposite solenoid is energized. The solenoid valves will not be shown and described in detail since any commercial type of valve performing the same function can be used satisfactorily.

The branch conduits 73a, 73b and 730 are connected to the valve ports 79 of the respective solenoid valves, and the ports 81 of the solenoid valves are connected to the sump 69 by means of a return line conduit system 83. The ports 80 and 82 of the solenoid valve 76a are respectively connected to an actuating port 84a, and a de-actuating port 85a of the cylinder 25 of the hold down mechanism 11 by means of respective conduits 86a and 87a. The ports 84) and 82 of the solenoid valve 76b are respectively connected to an actuating port 84b and a de-actuating port 85b of the cylinder 42 of the positioning mechanism 32 by means of respective conduits 86b and 87b. The ports 80 and 82 of the solenoid valve 760 are connected by means of respective conduits 86c and 870 to an actuating port 840 and a de-actuating port 850 of the cylinder 47 of the forming mechanism 33.

For controlling the speed with which the various pis tons in the actuating cylinders move in response to the application of fluid pressure, a speed control device 88 is disposed in each of the conduits 87a, 87b and 870.

The speed control devices may be of any suitable construction for reducing the speed of fluid flow through the escapes conduit toreduce the speed with which the actuating pistons move,

The electrical control system for the automatic spinning'machine is shown schematically in Figure 7. As shown in this figure an electrical power supply 89' is provided which may be of the three cycle, 220 volt type in which a terminal 90 is'a source of 220 volt current and agterminal 91 and another terminal 92 areeach sources of 110 voltcurrent, that is to say, the electrical power supply is of the conventional type wherein a 220 volt potential is provided between terminal '90 and terminal 92,:anda 110 volt potential is provided between terminal 91 and either of the terminals 90 or 92.

A start switch 93 is provided which has one terminal connected to the 220 volt terminal 90 by means of a lead 94 and another terminal which is connected by means of a lead 95 to one terminal of the actuating solenoid: 78a of the solenoid valve 76a. The start switch may be of the normally open type which can be closed by pressing start button 93a to complete a circuit through the switch.

One terminal of each of the coils 78a and 78b of the valve 76a, one terminal of the coil 78b of the solenoid 76b, and one terminal of both of the coils 78a and 78b of the solenoid valve 760 are connected by means of a lead system 96 to the 110 volt terminal 91 of the power supply 89; The remaining terminal of each of the coils 7812 are interconnected by means of a lead system 97 which is connected through a normally open micro switch 98 to the 220 volt terminal 90 by means of a lead 99.

The switch 98, which can be referred to as the depth switch, is actuated to the closed position when the slide 36 of the forming mechanism 33 has been moved downward to its bottom position. The location of the switch 98 can be changed to change the bottom position of the slide 36 and the extent of actuation of the forming mechanism within the limits of the throw of the cylinder 47.

The other terminal of the actuating coil 78a of the solenoid valve 76c is connected by means of a lead 100 to'the 220 volt terminal 90 of the power supply 89. A normally closed micro switch 101 and a normally open microswitch 102 are connected in series in the lead 100 between the coil 78 and the power terminal 90. The normally closed switch 101 is arranged to be held open by the positioning mechanism 32 until this mechanism has been fully actuated to contact the work piece on the spindle 21, at which time the switch closes. The normally open switch 102 is held closed by the slide 36 when the forming mechanism 33 is in its unactuated position.

A relay 103, of any suitable construction, has three power terminals connected to the respective terminals 90, 91 and-92 of the power supply 89 by means of leads 104, 105 and 106. A second three terminals of the relay 103are connected by three leads 107, 108 and 109 to the three terminals of the three-phase motor 16. A third set of threeterminals of the relay 103 are connected by means of leads 110, 111 and 112 to the three terminals of the three-phase brake 17.

A pair of actuating terminals of the relay 103 is connected by means of leads 113 and 114 to a secondary switch 115 of a timer 116. A primary switch 117 of the timer has one terminal connected to the ground by means of a lead 118 and its other terminal connected to the terminal 91 of the power supply 89 by means of a lead 119. A normally closed micro-switch 120 is interposedin the lead 119 and is arranged to be held open by the hold-down mechanism 11 when this mechanism is in its retracted, unactuated position in order to break the circuit. The timer 116 may be of any suitable construction for delaying the closing of the secondary switch 115 for a predetermined length of time after energization of the primary switch 117. For example, a time delay of four seconds may be provided.

The relay 103 is constructed so that the power leads 104,105 and-106 are connected to the brake leads 110,

111 and-'112'when the relayisde-energized. When the actuating leads 113 and 114 are connected through the timer, these leads are connected through the relay to -the power supply to actuate the relay to connect the power leads 104, and 106 to the leads 107, 108'and 109 and to disconnect the leads 110, 111 and 112. Thus, when the timer switch is unactuated, the power supply 89 is connected to the brake 17 to actuate the brake toprevent rotation of the spindle 21. When the timer switch 115 is actuated, the brake 17 is disconnected from the power supply 39 which is then connected to the motor 116 to rotate the spindle.

One terminal of the coil 78a of the solenoid 76b is connected to the lead 108 of the relay 103 by means of a lead 121. A normally open micro-switch 122 is provided in the lead 121 and is arranged to be held closed by the positioning mechanism 32 when in the unactuated position. The other lead of the coil 78a of the solenoid valve 76b is connected by means of a lead 123 to the relay lead 109.

A normally open emergency stop switch 124 has one terminal connected to power supply terminal 90 by means of lead 125 while the other lead of the stop switch is connected by means of a lead 126 to the lead 97 which interconnects one terminal of each of the coils 78b of each of the solenoid valves, so that the stop switch is connected in the same manner as the depth switch 98. The emergency stop switch 124 has a button 124a which can be pressed to close the switch.

Operation Referring to Figures 1 and 7, until the start button 93a of the switch 93 is pressed all'elements of the machine are in their unactuated positions as shown in Figure 1. The pressure supply 14 is continuously operated by means of a control system not shown in the figures so that fluid under pressure is continuously supplied to the pressure conduit 73 and the branch conduits connected thereto. When the system is in this inactive state, the ports 79 and 82 of each of the solenoid valves 76a, 76b and 760 are connected so that pressure fluid is communicated to the de-actuation ports 85a, 85b and 850 of the respective actuating cylinders 25, 42 and 47, so that the various movable elements of the machine are held in the unactuated positions shown by fluid pressure. At the same time the ports 80 and 81 of each of the solenoid valves are connected so that the actuating ports 84a, 84b and 840 ofthe cylinders are connected with the sump 69. The brake 17 is energized and the motor 16 is de-energized since the relay 103 is de-energized. Thecircuits to all of the sole-- noid coils 78a and 78b of the solenoid valves are broken since the start switch 93, the micro-switch 98 and the micro-switch 101 are initially in open position, and in addition the leads 107 and 108 are not connected tothe' power supply.

Before the spinning cycle is started a workpiece is placed on the spindle 21. The work piece is preferably of circular sheet stock and is placed with its center on the center of the spindle. If desired, the work piece may be slightly preformed or dimpled in the center in order that it may be easily located in proper position on the spindle.

After the work piece is in place, the cycle is initiated by depressing the start switch 93a to complete a circuit of 110 volts potential between the power supply terminals 90 and 91 through the solenoid coil 78a of the solenoid valve 76a to actuate the valve tointerconnect the port 79 with the port 80 and the port 81 with the port 82.- This relieves the de-actuating port 85a of the hold-down cylinder 25 to the sump while introducing pressure fluid to the actuating port 84a to cause movement of the holddown arbor 27 downwardly. Subsequent release of the start button 93a breaks the circuit to the coil 78a but the valve remains in its actuated position. It will be understood that the speed of downward movement of the arbor is controlled bythe speed-control -88? When the arbor has been moved downwardly a sufficient distance it engages the work piece to clamp it between the arbor 27 and the spindle 22, the clamping force depending on the fluid supply pressure and the size of the piston in the cylinder 25.

As the arbor 27 starts downwardly, the normally closed micro-switch 120 is released and automatically closes to complete a circuit from the power supply terminal 91 through the primary switch 117 of the timer 116 to the ground to energize the timer with a 110 volt potential. The time delay of the timer is suificient to allow full actuation of the hold-down mechanism 11 before a circuit is completed through the secondary switch 115 of the timer to cause energization of the relay 103. After the allotted time delay has passed and the relay 103 is energized, the circuit to the brake is cut oif and a three-phase circuit is connected to the motor 16 to cause rotation of the spindle 21 and to thereby rotate the arbor head 27a and the workpiece clamped between the arbor head and the spindle.

At the same time that the motor 16 is energized a twophase circuit is completed through the leads 121 and 123 and the normally open micro-switch 122 (which is initially held closed when the positioning mechanism 32 is in the unactuated position) to cause energization of the coil 78:: of the solenoid valve 76b to connect the port 79 with the port 80 and the port 81 with the port 82. This causes venting of the de-actuating port 85b of the positioning mechanism cylinder 42 and connects the actuating port 84b to the pressure fluid so that the ram 38 and the roller 40 move toward the spindle 21. Initiation of movement of the positioning mechanism frees the normally open switch 122 to open the circuit to the solenoid 7 8a of the solenoid valve 76b, but the valve remains in its actuated position.

The ram 38 continues its movement toward the spindle 21 until the roller '40 contacts the work-piece. The position at which inward movement of the roller stops is determined by the position of the stop plate 46a which engages the opposing face of the bearing block 37.

The normally closed micro-switch 101 is located so that it is released when the work piece is contacted to complete a circuit of 110 volts potential through the coil 78a of the solenoid valve 76c, since the normally open micro switch 102 is held closed when the forming mechanism 33 is in its unactuated position. Actuation of the solenoid valve 760 causes venting of the de-actuating port 850 of the forming mechanism cylinder 47 and at the same time introduces pressure fluid to the actuating port 840 of the cylinder to start downward movement of the slide 36. As the slide begins to move downwardly, the normally open switch 102 is released and opens to break the circuit, but the position of the valve is unaffected.

As the spinning roller 40 is moved downwardly by actuation of the forming mechanism 33, the work piece is spun about the spindle 21 with the wall thickness of the formed piece depending upon the configuration of the spindle and the path of downward movement of the roller 40.

When the work piece is fully formed, the forming mechanism 33 engages the normally open depth switch 93 to close it to complete a circuit of 110 volts potential through each of the coils 73b of the solenoid valves 76a, 76b, and 76c. Thus, the pressure connections to each of the cylinders 25, 42 and 47 are reversed to complete movement of the associated mechanisms toward their unactuated positions. Initial retraction of the ram 38 opens the normally closed micro-switch 101 so that subsequent 8 relay 103, so that the circuit to the motor 116 and the circuit to the coil 7 8a of the solenoid valve 76b are cut off at the relay before the normally open micro-switch 122 is closed by full retraction of the ram 38. Deactivation of the relay 103 causes energization of the magnetic brake 17 to stop rotation of the spindle 21.

It will be noted that initial movement of the slide 36 toward retracted position after closing of the normally open depth switch 98 allows this switch to close to cut oflf the circuits through the coils 78b of each of the solenoid valves, but the valves have already been moved to their initial positions so that retraction operation is unaifected.

If at any time during the cycle the operator wants to return all of the mechanisms to unactuated positions, he depresses the emergency stop button 124a 0f the switch 124 to complete the same circuits as completed by closing of the depth switch 98 to immediately return all of the mechanisms to their initial positions regardless of where the machine is in the operational cycle.

If it is desired to change the wall thickness of the finished work piece, the initial position of the stop plate 46 is changed. If the stop plate is moved closer to the roller, a finished work piece with a thicker wall thickness will result, and if the stop plate is moved away from the roller a thinner wall thickness will result.

The point of contact of the roller 40 with the work piece can be changed by varying the height of the spindle and motor assembly 10 by loosening the hold down screws 54 and adjusting the adjustment screws 59 of the adjustment blocks 56. It will be apparent that this adjustment will also affect the wall thickness when a conical spindle is utilized.

The angular position of the spinning roller mechanism 12 as compared to the configuration of the spindle 21 determines the taper or lack of taper of the finished work piece. By adjusting the axis of movement of the shaping mechanism 33 so that it is parallel with the opposing surface of the spindle will cause the work piece to be formed with a uniform wall thickness. If the roller mechanism 12 is pivoted slightly clockwise as seen in Figure 1, a tapered wall thickness will be provided with the thickest wall being at the top of the cone, but if the spinning roller mechanism is pivoted slightly in the counterclockwise direction, the wall thickness will taper toward a greater thickness at the bottom of the cone. The exact taper can be finely adjusted by means of the adjusting blocks 64 by loosening the hold down screws 60 and adjusting the adjustment screws 66.

Modification of Figures 5 and 6 In order to adapt the automatic spinning machine of the present invention to spin work pieces having configurations other than that of a straight sided cone, a new spindle 21 of any desired solid-of-revolution configuration can be provided, and a camming action of the movement of the spinning roller 40 can be achieved. in any desired manner to conform substantially to the configuration of the substituted spindle.

A typical camming of the forming movement of the roller 40 can be achieved by securing a cam (shown in phantom lines) having a camming surface 130a of desired configuration of the arm 34a of the support plate 34. A cam roller 131 (shown in phantom lines) can be secured to the bifurcated end of the ram 38 by means of a rigid arm 132 (shown in phantom lines) so that when the ram moves the :roller 40 toward the spindle 21, the cam roller 131 engages the cam face 130a before the stop plate 46a engages the bearing pad 37, and adjustments can be made so that the work piece is engaged when the cam roller engages the cam. As the forming mechanism 33 moves the spinning roller 40 downwardly to spin the work piece on the substituted spindle, the engagement of the cam roller 131 with the earn: 130 causes the ram 38 to move inwardly and outwardly to follow the spindle configuration in accordance with the co-ordinated configuration of the cam face 130a. The operation of the modified machine is otherwise exactly the same as the operation of the configuration of Figure 1.

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that the present invention provides an improved automatic spinning machine for spinning metal blanks into hollow objects of revolution of any desired configuration, with any desired wall thickness, and with any desired wall thickness taper or lack of taper. The machine can be quickly and easily set up to spin various configurations of work pieces without the necessity of providing separate dies for each different configuration desired. The forming operation is at least as rapid as that performed by the conventional press and die method but the equipment cost and the consequent cost per piece are greatly reduced. In addition, the spinning operation can form work pieces in a single operation into configurations which would require many deep drawing operations by use of the press and die method. The formation of each work piece is completely automatic after initiation of the cycle, and, of course, any suitable conventional feeding mechanism could be utilized to automatically feed and remove the work pieces.

Variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim:

In a metal spinning apparatus, the combination comprising, a supporting structure, spindle means rotatably secured to said supporting structure for rotating a work piece on a given spindle axis, a spinning roller mechanism for shaping said work piece comprising a support plate defining an integral arm normal to said plate and pivotally mounted to said supporting structure, there being a trackway formed on the upper surface of said support plate, a slide having an integral extension slidably engaging said trackway, a bearing block secured to said slide, a ram reciprocally mounted in said bearing block, said ram having a bifurcation at one end thereof, a spinning roller rotatably mounted in said bifurcation on said ram, there being a slot in said bearing block adapted to receive said roller upon retraction of said ram in said bearing block, a first actuating means mounted on said slide extension and spaced from said bearing block for the reciprocal movement of said ram, a split shaft connecting said ram and said first actuating means, a collar threadably engaging opposing ends of said split shaft for adjusting said reciprocal movement of said ram, a stop plate threadably mounted on said split shaft between said ram and said collar adapted to abut said bearing plate and limit 10 travel of said ram towards said work piece, a jam nut threadably mounted on said split shaft adapted to lock said stop plate in a selected position on said split shaft, a. second actuating means mounted on said support plate, an adjustment plate rigidly secured to said slide, a shaft connected at one end to said second actuating means and threadably engaging said adjustment plate at its other end, a locking nut threadably mounted on said shaft and on each side of said adjustment plate for locking said shaft in an adjusted position in said adjustment plate for limiting the travel of said slide on said trackway, means for the pivotal adjustment of said support plate on said support plate on said supporting structure comprising a plurality of threaded studs secured to said supporting structure, there being a corresponding plurality or arcuate slots in said support plate, said slots being disposed in said support plate whereby their centers are located at the pivotal axis of said pivot on said arm on said support plate, and means to provide a close tolerance adjustment for said spinning roller mechanism comprising a pair of adjusting blocks, one each being secured to said supporting structure and adjacent an opposite edge of said support plate and an adjusting screw threadably mounted in each said block and having its end abutting the adjacent edge of said supporting plate.

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